Improvement in harness-pads



10H N H .y VAN HIPER.

Harness Pad's.

Patentedl March 26 1872.

)iwan/WH FFICE.

JOHN H. VAN RIPER, OF CHELSEA, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARNESS-PADS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 125,101, dated March 26, 1872.

To -fwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. VAN HIPER, of Chelsea, in the county of lVashtenaw and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in HarneSsPadS, and I do declare that the following is a true and accurate description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon and being a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of my im proved pad 5 Fig. 2 is a central transverse section of the same; Fig. 3 is a cross-section at w w,- and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the check-hook detached from the tree.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved pad for harnesses, having all the advantages of what is known as the coach-pad77 with the cheapness of the common or soft pad, which will possess sufficient iiexibility to conform to the back of the horse, and which will be easy to repair. The invention consists in the peculiar construction of the metallic tree and cheekfhook, and in combination therewith the remaining parts of the pad, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing, A represents my improved tree, preferably made of malleable cast-iron, consisting of two fiat plates joined together, as shown, with a loop, a, for t-he baclcstrap projecting rearward from the point of j uncture, which is iiattened and strengthened by the addition of ribs b b c, the latter being recessed to receive the front end of the check-hook B, which is secured by a bolt, d, inserted from the top and riveted under the tree, so that the hook can easily be replaced if broken. The lower end of each plate is curved to receive the end of the top layer, which in common pads ex-l tends entirely over the pad. C are the cushions, and D the housing of a pad of ordinary construction, over which is laid the fold E, eX- tending entirely over the pads. F is the layer,

which extends or terminates under the extremities ofthe tree-plates, and is only stitched to the fold where exposed. c c are two screws passing through the tree-plates, the fold, housing, and into the cushions, into nuts ff, which bind the whole firmly together. The terrets G also screw into nuts g which are placed within the cushions. l1J are fancT saddle-screws engaging with nuts h', oneat each end of the pad, within the cushion, to keep the pad ends in place.

By this arrangement I save ten inches of leather in the length of the layer, and twentytwo inches of stitching, which, with the saving of time in the manufacture ofthe pad,l will pa y for the metallic tree 5 so that, in other words, I am enabled to make a coach-pad atthe cost of the common or soft-pad.

That part of the pad which is below the endsy of the tree-plates is sufiicientlytlexible to conform to the shape of the horses back.

I do not claim, broadly, the invention of a metallic pad-tree, as such have long been used, but differing materially from mine in construction and application; but- What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In combination with the pad-tree A the cushions C, fold E, and layer-ends F, the whole being secured together by the screws e e h and nuts ffand lt, as and for the purpose set forth.

' JOHN H. VAN HIPER.

Vitn esses H. F. EBERTs, H. S. SPRAGUE. 

